Everyone has bad moods, gets prolonged funks, and as many as one in four will have a more serious/prolonged mental health issue at some point during their life. So, everyone can benefit from some mental health maintenance and support. Here are some basic ways that research has found help boost your mood, turn a bad day around, and may even prevent more serious mental health problems.
Here’s a fun way to boost your mood: spend some time with an animal. Even if you don’t want the responsibility or cost of owning a dog or cat, petting and interacting with something warm and fuzzy boost oxytocin and other feel good hormones, bringing down stress and increasing positive feelings. If you do choose to adopt a pet, they may even help extend your lifespan.
The mind and body are strongly connected (and research is still flushing out some more paths that explain how it physically works), so following health basics won’t just benefit your physical health, but your mental health as well.
Diet has a huge impact—whether it’s the type of energy you’re getting (like sugar, carbs, or protein), or just basically making sure you have enough nutrients for your whole body to function, repair, and thrive. Junk will clog things up, or even have more severe repercussions. To give your brain a boost, try eating more veggies. You don’t have to make radical changes, just focus on eating more veggies, and eating them first.
Then there’s exercise. It’s not just strengthening your heart and toning your body, it’s creating endorphins (your natural opioids) as well as other feel good chemicals that make your brain feel good, too. And this is one of the most powerful tools for mental health, because regular exercise isn’t just a temporary brain boost, it can help create pathways in the brain to long term health, happiness, and positivity.
It’s not just for hippies—if you want to actively retrain your brain away from negative thoughts or impulses, try meditation. It can be as simple as visualizing thoughts floating away to clear your mind, mentally recreating your favorite flower/artwork, or reciting a positive affirmation (whatever method you’re drawn to). Not only will it help give you calm and strength when you’re not meditating, it’s been shown to help improve a number of things, including blood pressure.
Finally, if you want another layer of support for mental health and function, try colloidal gold. Colloidal gold is reported to boost mood, energy, focus, concentration, and more. If you already like the support you’re getting for stress and depression with D.S.A. MGRx, you can get it together with colloidal gold in our Depression, Stress, and Anxiety pack.
What boosts your mood? Share in the comments:
